Bag control for garment finishing machines



Aug. 29, 1961 N. c. JACKSON 2,998,171

BAG CONTROL FOR GARMENT FINISHING MACHINES Original Filed Dec. 17. 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. A/o/a/z Q Jam 50 HTTORN Aug. 29, 1961 N. c. JACKSON 2,99 7

BAG CONTROL FOR GARMENT FINISHING MACHINES Original Filed Dec. 17, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 II I .Illllllllllflllflllllwill!!! III I .Illflll .Illllfll/Illllllllffll rlflllllllllllllll Il'ld INVENTOR. A/o/an 6. Jaokson BY I United States Patent Ofiice Patented Aug. 29, 1961 2 Claims. (11. 223-67) This invention relates to garment finishing machines and particularly to that class of such equipment which employs a flexible bag of permeable material over which the garment is draped during the finishing operation and adapted to receive fluid such as steam and/or air which permeates the garment.

More particularly, the invention relates to a garment finishing machine of the aforementioned character that employs novel structure for controlling the size of the bag in at least one direction whereby to predetermine the extent of ballooning thereof under influence of the fluid pressure to the end that the bag more accurately conforms to the shape and contour of the garment placed thereon.

It is the most important object of the present invention to provide control structure for the size determining means just above mentioned which may be locked in preselected positions so that the controlled size of the bag is maintained throughout the steaming and air drying finishing operation.

Another important object of the instant invention is to utilize drawstring means in the nature of that set forth by my US. Letters Patent No. 2,736,471, dated February 28, 1956, but including means for holding the drawstring means in bag-restricting positions in accordance with the selection made by the operator.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a bag control for garment finishing machines that employs a unique wedging means between a reciprocable rod and a tube within which the rod is mounted as a quickly releasable, yet positively acting lock for holding the rod in a selected position With respect to the tube.

This is a division of my copending application Serial No. 476,000, filed December 17, 1954, now Patent No. 2,805,009, dated September 3, 1957, and entitled Steam- Air Garment Finisher.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a front perspective view of a bag control for garment finishing machines made pursuant to the present invention, showing the same with the garmentreceiving bag entirely removed.

FIG. 2 is a vertical, cross-sectional view taken on line 11-11 of FIG. 1 illustrating the said bag by dash lines.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary, vertical, crosssectional view showing the upper portion of the machine.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, cross-sectional view taken on line VI-VI of FIG. 1 and illustrating schematically drawstring take-up means for the bag.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on line V--V of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary detailed cross-sectional view identical with a portion of FIG. 4 but on an enlarged scale showing particularly the releasable cap and wedge unit.

In the form of my invention illustrated by the drawings, base 10 is hollow as seen in FIG. 2, and a blower 12, operated by an electric motor 14, communicates therewith at the rear of the base 10 for directing air from intake 16 across a heating coil 18, thence across a steam receiver 20 and ultimately through a garment (not shown) to be finished when draped over a permeable bag 22.

Receiver 20 is mounted rigidly on a shelf 24 within the base 10, extends upwardly through an opening 26 in the top of the base 10 and terminates in an upright, tubular, perforated manifold 28 within the bag 22. Manifold 28 communicates with the receiver 20 and has a plug 30 closing the upper end thereof and operating also to rotatably support a tubular upright 32 having a neck-piece 34 on its uppermost end. A tubular stem 36 forming a part of the neckpiece 34 receives the upper end of upright 32 as shown in FIG. 3, bag 22 having an opening in its upper end for receiving the neckpiece 34.

An annulus 38, rotatable within the opening 26, is surrounded by a resilient gasket 40, and when the lowermost open end of the bag 22 is placed around the annulus 38, it is preferably attached to the annulus 38 through use of a drawstring or other fastening means, not shown.

Annulus 38 is connected with the neckpiece 34 by means of a backing member 42 for a clamping plate 44 that is likewise mounted on the annulus 38 for rotation therewith. Plate 44 is swingable on a leaf spring 46, the latter of which is in turn secured to a lever 48 swingable toward and away from the backing member 42 and releasably held in place through mechanism not fully shown but including a latch 50.

A similar clamping assembly broadly designated by the numeral 52, is mounted on the annulus 38 for cooperation With a backing plate 54 that joins With the annulus 38. Cross means 56 interconnecting the backing members 42 and 54 may join with the upright 32 for rotation therewith.

Shoulder supporting means likewise mounted on the upright 32 for rotation therewith, includes a pair of shoulder elements 58 and 60 secured rigidly to the uppermost ends of corresponding V-shaped arms 62 and 64. A cross bar 66 attached to the upright 32 swingably receives the apex ends of the arms 62 and 64 through use of pivots 68.

Shoulder members 58 and 60 are moved toward and away from each other on each side respectively of the stem 36 beneath neckpiece 34 upon manual swinging of a lever 70 riding the slot 72 of neckpiece 34.

A lever 74, reciprocable within the tubular upright 32, pivotally interconnects the lever 70 and a follower 76. Links 78 for the arms 62 and 64 pivotally connect the latter with a pin 80 extending from the follower 76 through a slot 82 in the upright 32.

Steam emanating from a suitable source, not shown, flows through a supply pipe 84 into an outer chamber or vessel 86 of the receiver 20 and thence through the coil 18 by way of conduit 88, extending into chamber 86. Steam from coil 18 passes through a return line 92 having a trap 138 therein.

Upon opening of a solenoid valve 96 within a conduit 98 and preferably disposed exteriorly of the bag 22 and the base 10, steam flows from the outer chamber 86 of the receiver 20 into an inner chamber or vessel 100 and thence into the manifold 28 that connects with the inner chamber 100.

Steam emanating from the perforations of the manifold 28 must pass through a permeable bag 102, enclosing a spring 104 coiled about, and spaced from, the manifold 28.

Electric motor 14 and solenoid 96 are controlled by a foot pedal 106 on the outermost end of a shaft 108 that extends through the base 10. A block 110 on the inner end of shaft 108 closes a switch (not shown) for motor 14 when the pedal 106 is turned in one direction and closes a second switch (not shown) for solenoid 96 when the pedal 106 is swu g n the pposite d ect ng,

When fluid is directed into the bag 22 under pressure, the latter would normally balloon fully except for control means shown in FIG. 4. At selected points on the bag 22, Such as at, 116 and 118, there is provided a drawstring 120 looped around a pulley 1'22 and secured to a suitable rigid connection 124. The connection 124 should constitute a rotary part of the machine such as the upright 32, the backing members 42 and 54 or the cross means 56.

Drawstring 120 is manipulated by pulling outwardly on a knob 126 to in turn pull on a flexible cable 128 connected to the pulley 122. A polygonal rod 130 reciprocable within tube 132 is interposed between cable 128 and knob 126, and is releasably held against inward movement by tightening a cap 134 on the tube 132 against a split Wedge 136 that is thus forced into the upper end of tube 132 and against the rod 130. A plurality of such assemblies, i.e., one for each drawstring 120 repectively, is provided on the annulus 38 for rotation therewith.

As is clear in FIG. 4, the wedge 136 is frustoconical and the cylindrical tube 132 is counterbored at its upper end to complementally receive wedge 136. FIG. 4 shows also that rod 130 extends through cap 134 and wedge 136, the latter being complemental to rod 130. Each tube 132 is screw-threaded through the upper end of a hollow extension 133 rigid to annulus 32, and is adjustably held in place by a lock nut 135.

The operation may be summarized as follows:

When a garment is placed on the bag 22 it may be clamped in place through use of the clamping means that includes plate 44, together with the clamp 52, and if such garment is in the nature of a coat or shirt normally open at the front, the holding effect of the relatively long plate 44 assures passage of the steam or air through the entire bag 22. The nature of the garment will, of course, dictate the positions of the knobs 126 and when the latter are pulled outwardly and locked through use of cap 134, various points as at 116 and 118 along thebag 22, will be restricted in diameter and not be permitted to balloon outwardly when steam or air are admitted under pressure into the bag 22.

The unit may be rotated on the vertical axes of the upright 32 and the manifold 28, while the garment is draped over the bag 22, and the position of the shoulder pieces 58 and 60 is likewise determined by the nature of the garment; they may be moved toward or away from the stem 36 merely by manipulating the lever that extends through the slot 72 of neckpiece 34.

When it is desired to direct air under pressure into the bag 22 for passage through the garment, the operator need merely manipulate the pedal 106 in one direction to actuate the motor 14. When the pedal 106 is turned in the opposite direction, steam will be permitted to flow through the conduit 98, past solenoid valve 96 and into the inner chamber 100.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a garment finisher, a bag provided with a support; a drawstring attached to the bag intermediate the ends thereof for taking up the fullness thereof by varying the extent of ballooning of the bag when fluid pressure is directed thereinto; a tube; means attaching the tube to the support exteriorly of the bag; a rod reciprocable in the tube; flexible means connecting one end of said rod with the drawstring for imparting a pull on the latter as the rod is pulled outwardly from within the tube; a spilt wedge adapted to be forced into the outermost end of the tube against the rod for holding the latter in any one of a number of selected positions relative to the tube; and a releasable cap on said one end of the tube engageable with said wedge for holding the latter wedged between the tube and the rod, the cap being provided with an opening slidably receiving the rod, there being a hollow extension rigid to said support and extending upwardly and outwardly therefrom, the tube being housed within the extension and attached thereto.

2. The invention of claim 1, said extension having an uppermost and outermost end, said tube extending through said end and being provided with means of attachment thereto, said cap being disposed exteriorly of the extension adjacent said end of the latter.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,429,940 Field Sept. 26, 1922 2,412,172 Pettit Dec. 3, 1946 2,454,888 Shaw et al. Nov. 30, 1948 2,460,732 Brenner et al Feb. 1, 1949 2,736,471 Jackson Feb. 28, 1956 

